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Williamstown
Williamstown is the largest settlement within the Bass Strait and likely within all of Victoria. With a history stemming back to the 1830s, Williamstown is one of the oldest surviving settlements in the Australian wastes, with a history nearly 450 years old. In the modern day, the settlement is famed for its incredibly industrial and trade power. In 2287, Williamstown is led by Mary Lo. History Pre-War Established in 1837, William's Town (as it was first known) was intended to be the centre of the Melbourne, Victoria. However, the lack of nearby freshwater stifled the growth of the city, in favour of its more northernly partners. Over time, Williamstown's key location on the Yarra River and Port Philip Bay allowed it to develop a thriving mercantile economy. Williamstown was not limited to the sea. Victorian Railways established a workshop at Point Gellibrand in 1857 to assemble imported locomotives. By the 1880s, it had outgrown this facility and moved to Newport, further inland. By 1900, Williamstown was home to dozens of industrial centres, primarily based around a thriving commercial and military shipbuilding industry. The various mining booms of the 21st century only increased this growth, ultimately making Williamstown one of the largest ports in Australia before the war. That was, of course, until the War. The Great War Fear of Chinese invasion had reached even as far south as Melbourne. On October 23rd, when missiles and bombs rained down on the CBD and nearby military bases while the citizens of Williamstown dived into backyard bomb shelters. Immediately after the bombs, rioting and looting set in, with hundreds of refugees fleeing from the city and from Williamstown. Chaos set in and stopped in Williamstown before the citizens left their shelters. Law and Order weren't completely abandoned immediately after the war. Many citizens simply fled, of course, yet enough remained to support the remaining infrastructure. The local Member of Parliament for Williamstown ordered local police and military forces to investigate the area. Somehow, the city had been almost entirely spared by nuclear weapons. However, the subsequent nuclear fallout from the rest of Melbourne and the general disorder of the collapse of society still put significant pressure on the early community. While it lasted longer than many other Pre-War Groups, Williamstown was simply another raggedly maintained and sparsely inhabited section of Melbourne by the time November rolled around. Rebuilding By the turn of the century, this had been reversed. The presence of such high levels of industry in the area made it a scavengers' paradise. When the immediate fallout settled down in the late 2090s, a small community appeared among the Pre-War houses, rigging scrap walls up around the dockyard. By farming and trading with the first Fisher Families, this small community quickly grew in population, with scores of refugees flocking to the relatively safe settlement. The lifeblood of this community was the USS Lauderdale, a nuclear powered US Navy Frigate. Yet, this power attracted too many refugees that Williamstown could support. Much of the food Williamstown consumed was produced in Altona, along the (somewhat) clean Kororoit Creek. Yet, only so much land could be produced from the Pre-War park and Williamstown's expansion was fast outpacing production. As such, by the 2110s, Williamstown, now developing into a proper town, had to seek outside trade. The Williamstown Mayor, a respected man by the name of Lance, made efforts to revitalise industry in the area, providing funds to industrialists and investing heavily in traders and merchants. By 2125, Lance's efforts had resulted in an economic revolution sweeping Williamstown. Newly reopened factories required greater and greater amounts of raw material. Small merchant companies could make a killing transporting scrap to these factories. These factories, in turn, produced items the merchants could sell or make use of. Through the late 2120s and 30s, caravans competed with one another to get an upper hand over their opponents. People flooded to Williamstown to occupy the factories or work with the caravaneers. The settlement developed into a city in mere years. Out of this period of unrestricted competition rose two large companies: Victorian Railways, a railway based trading organisation headquartered in Newport and the Hobson Bay Trading Company, a coalition of naval traders and shipwrights. While there was little competition between the two companies in Victoria directly, the two battled for influence in the city relentlessly. Sabotage and subterfuge were common practices. In later years, especially around the turn of the next century, shootouts would occur in the street between the two. Under Lance, the two factions, while somewhat hostile to one another, were kept in check. The city expanded up until Lance's death in 2138. When Lance first took over the city in 2113, the population rested around 500 individuals spread between Williamstown proper and the Altona colony. By 2140, 2 years after Lance had died, the population had boomed to 2000. The economy of the city had been overhauled. Scavengers in rags and rough armour had picked through old factories and slept with knives under their pillows when Lance came to power. These had been replaced by businessmen in patched suits, technicians and factory workers in comfortable and practical overalls and respectable militia in proper Pre-War uniforms. The city had been completely overhauled. Slip Into Instability Williamstown continued to grow through the 2140s and 50s. Factories specialised and turned to mass production. Using Pre-War schematics, weapons manufacturers pumped out rifles and sub-machine guns. Food processors turned brahmin meat into packaged goods for the consumer. A veritable textile industry appeared in the city, taking every type of material before weaving it, dying it and turning into new clothes. Such economic growth saw the population grow in tandem. By 2150, the population was past 3000 within the walls alone. Including Altona and other surrounding areas, Williamstown was one of the largest cohesive bodies in Victoria. This expansion saw them rubbing against many of the other factions within the state. Throughout the first half of the 23rd century, Williamstown rubbed roughly against the tribes to the north. Merchant ships sailing out of Port Philips Bay would often come under attack from Fisher Families pirates. Faced with such dangerous foes, the rough government system Williamstown had previously possessed was crushed. In 2217, the town militia, led by Captain Arnie Pritchards, revolted against the weak Mayor, seizing the town with a show of force. Immediately, the wayward caravan companies were brought under control through force of arms and expeditions were sent out against the tribal raiders in the north and the Fishers in the south. It seemed as if the military government was liable to commit political suicide by flinging the cream of the crop into the thresher. Yet, with a strong government backing the troops and the economy of Williamstown fully backing it, victories came thick and fast. A Fisher fleet was wiped out of the Bay by 2226 with only minimal casualties. A string of victories defeated the Gobble-de-Gook confederacy at the start of the 2240s. Things seemed up for the Military Junta in Williamstown. Every strategy has a culminating point. When the Military Junta smashed away the enemies at the gates, they had little to do except stifling domestic problems with overwhelming military force. By maintaining military control of the industrial might of the city, the economy began to tank. The industrialists fumed, albeit quietly. VR and Hobson Bay began to trade less and less with the city, further crippling the economy. Victorian Railways even moved their headquarters from the Newport Workshops out to Geelong. The Junta, confronted with such an obvious economic decline, took the most obvious course of action for the most populous, industrialised nation in Post-War Victoria: raiding. They sacked nearby settlements, massively increased taxes, and all but became pirates in Port Philips Bay. It took mere months for the general public, the industrialists and the caravan companies to openly revolt, executing Pritchards in January 2250. Oligarchic Rule Victorian Railways had provided much of the veteran manpower necessary for the revolt and used this force to establish a puppet government in the city. This government was nominally independent but showed significant favouritism for VR merchants, slashing tariffs and taxes. Steven Charles (the puppet) also swiftly gained the gratitude of the Industrialists by giving them free rein over production and peeling back various labour laws in the city. Hobson Bay had to continue to suffer from improved - but still heavily restrictive - taxation, increasing the animosity between the two factions. Charles ruled through till 2274, when a heart attack killed him. Hobson Bay had spent the years prior to this stirring rumours about the 'uncivilised' trading practices. In the show elections after Charles's death, the Hobson Bay candidate barely had to campaign - the populace was so against VR that the Hobson candidate won through a landslide. Through backdoor dealings and underhanded rabble-rousing, Hobson Bay managed to keep their man as Mayor until 2287. Layout Williamstown is a sprawling Post-Apocalyptic town, spreading from Jawbone Park to the mouth of the Yarra River and far into Port Philips Bay. The city differs massively from area to area; Williamstown elite occupy the fancy, expensive houses far from the coast, factories belch fog and smog by the south-eastern bay, and dozens of chained, cabled and tethered hulks float off the shore. The Hulks Floating in the seas across the Bay by the Yarra are the Hulks. Dozens of different size vessels float off the coast, connected by gangplanks in a floating, man-made archipelago. The hulks are a necessary evil in Williamstown. Amongst the old freighters is the USS Lauderdale, still providing significant amounts of the cities power. Also resting in the Bay is a number of cutthroat bars, back door Raider hangouts and markets for less reputable goods. Citizens of the city that don't keep their homes up to the standards of the city are also dumped out here. Williamstown Markets As the largest polity in the Bass Strait and South Victoria, Williamstown thrums with constant merchant activity. Around the centre of the town lies the primary markets, sprawling through dozens of Pre-War streets and plazas. A well-padded pocket can buy anything from high-quality firearms to the tastiest of foodstuffs. The markets are a mongrel mix of refurbished Pre-War stores, scratch-built tent cities and plywood and corrugated iron storefronts. No matter what the time, someone is selling something at all times of day. Williamstown Docks The Williamstown Docks are even busier than the Markets. Ships constantly arrive in the harbour, hailing from locations around Victoria and Tasmania. Porters bustle from ships, hauling crates, barrels and raw materials to the dock. Among the general hubbub of docks, traders argue and screech with one another over docking spots. Around the outer edges, Shipwrights hawk new vessels, trying to sell anything from tin runabouts to large, refurbished frigates. Even with the supervision of the Hobson Bay Port Authority, ordered anarchy reigns supreme. Central Williamstown Far from the violent hulks and the irradiated sea, Central Williamstown is the home for the rich and successful of the town. Caravan Company CEOs, rich and successful Merchant Captains and the wealthiest, most successful industrialists call this area home. While it appears similar to the rest of the town on the outside, the interior of these big homes actually appears similar to their outside. Single families occupy homes and fill them with the fanciest Pre- and Post-War furniture and ornaments. Government House Settled deep within the deepest, most opulent parts of Central Williamstown is the Government House. While before the War it was the home of the local member since the bombs it's been the central home of for whoever rules Williamstown. It is one of the few areas in Williamstown with a proper, luscious lawn out front. Williamstown Suburbia Crammed between the outside walls and the other key locations in Williamstown are dozens of surprisingly clean, very tidy streets lined with terraced houses. Walking down one of these tree-lined streets, one appears to have travelled back 210 years. The houses are clean, the streets are rubbish-less and the overall atmosphere is reserved and respectable. Once you enter a house, however, you see a significantly different story. 2-3 families will be squeezed into a terraced house, with almost 20 people squeezed into one building. Facilities are cramped and packed tightly together in the worst conditions. Economy Williamstown is the largest industrial settlement in Victoria. Dozens of factories spew out every conceivable good, from firearms and body armour to toys and tools. These goods are transported around Victoria by dozens of different caravan companies, from the natives at Hobson Bay to the far-off traders at Charlie's in Flounders Island. Williamstown's major exports include firearms, ammunition, packaged food and clothing. Williamstown citizens are primarily lower class factory workers. Employment is highly valued in the city and many will work for nothing at the hands of Industrialists and Caravaneers. The population is fast outpacing the number of available occupations, creating a growing unemployment problem in the city. This problem is even compounded by the expensive fees of living in the city and the high levels of cleanliness required of citizens. Government Williamstown has gone through numerous government types, from the common wasteland authority system in its early years to a military junta to an oligarchic dictatorship. In the modern day, 'Mayors' rule the city but they are still little more than puppets for the various trade companies around the city. The principal factions vying for control of the city are Victorian Railways, the Hobson Bay Trading Company, the Industrialists and the Williamstown Defence Force. Since the 2270s, Williamstown has been led by Mary Lo, a Hobson Bay puppet, backed up by a cadre of board members masquerading as the 'Municipal Council'. For the most part, they have ruled with a light touch, allowing the invisible hand of trade to guide the city towards success. Hobson Bay has attempted to build an anti-VR coalition with the WDF, yet this has come to little so far. Relations As an incredibly mercantile city, Williamstown has numerous relations with the other factions in the wasteland. Fisher Families Williamstown has had little dealings with the Fishers since its military government of the 2220-40s. Pushed out of the Bay with overwhelming force, the Fishers have remained away from the city. However, as trade with Flounders Island grows more and more bountiful, many Fishers have turned to piracy. Flounders Island Located across the Bass Strait, Flounders Island is one of the largest political bodies that trades with Williamstown. Even in the depths of winter, traders from both sides ply the waves to exchange Flounder raw materials with Williamstown industrial goods. A mutual respect exists between the two and Williamstown and Flounders Island trust one another to uphold their agreements. Gobble-de-Gook Williamstown can take direct credit for the creation of Gobble-de-Gook - although, whether they would is debatable. The raiding tribals have proved a nuisance for Williamstown settlers since the turn of the century and, in spite of numerous pre-emptive wars, have only increased the severity of their raids in numerous years. Victorian Railways As one of the largest trade companies in Victoria and the Bass Strait, Victorian Railways has a long and storied history with Williamstown. In modern times, the Hobson-backed government has cut ties with VR to a large extent, but the companies importance makes them an invaluable partner. In a phrase, it is a love-hate relationship. Category:Places Category:Communities Category:Victoria